Politics|Trump and His Associates Had More Than 100 Contacts With Russians Before the Inauguration

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Trump and His Associates Had More Than 100 Contacts With Russians Before the Inauguration

By KAREN YOURISH and
LARRY BUCHANANJAN. 26, 2019

During the 2016 presidential campaign and transition, Donald J. Trump and at least 17 campaign officials and advisers had contacts with Russian nationals and WikiLeaks, or their intermediaries, a New York Times analysis has found. At least 10 other associates were told about interactions but did not have any themselves.

Knowledge of these interactions is based on New York Times reporting, documents submitted to Congress, and court records and accusations related to the special counsel investigating foreign interference in the election.

Key

Had contact

Was told about contact

Denied contact

Charged by Mueller

Key

Had contact

Denied contact

Was told about

contact

Charged by Mueller

June 16

Trump announces campaign

Feb. 1

Republican primaries start

July 18

Republican convention

Nov. 8

Election

Jan. 20

Inauguration

2016

2017

Trump

Cohen

Ivanka Trump

Trump Jr.

Scavino

Papadopoulos

Clovis

Sessions

Miller

Page

Manafort

Lewandowski

Kushner

Dearborn

Gates

Caputo

Stone

Hicks

Gordon

Conway

Bannon

Flynn

Berkowitz

McFarland

Bossert

Spicer

Priebus

Prince

Among these contacts are more than 100 in-person meetings, phone calls, text messages, emails and private messages on Twitter. Mr. Trump and his campaign repeatedly denied having such contacts with Russians during the 2016 election.

The special counsel has also investigated connections between the Trump campaign and WikiLeaks, which released thousands of Democratic emails that were hacked by Russia before the election.

Donald J. Trump
at least 6 contacts

Invited to Moscow to attend party for Aras Agalarov and possibly meet Putin.

Received letter from Agalarov expressing “great interest” in campaign.

Tweeted: “I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA.”

Signed letter of intent to develop Trump Tower in Moscow.

Invited to Moscow to attend party for Aras Agalarov and possibly meet Putin.

Signed letter of intent to develop a Trump Tower in Moscow.

Received letter from Agalarov expressing “great interest” in campaign.

Tweeted: “I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA.”

Aras Agalarov, a Russian billionaire who hosted a Miss Universe pageant with Mr. Trump in Moscow, and the billionaire’s son, Emin, reached out to Mr. Trump several times. (Separately, both men helped arrange the now-famous June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with a Kremlin-linked attorney about getting information that could be damaging to Hillary Clinton.﻿) Mr. Trump was also pursuing a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow.

Michael D. Cohen
at least 17 contacts

Continuing discussions about Trump Tower project in Moscow.

Had contacts with Kremlin about project.

Discussed possibility of Trump and Cohen traveling to Russia.

Met with Russian oligarch.

A Russian offered to introduce Trump to Putin and help with the Trump Tower project.

Continuing discussions about Trump Tower project in Moscow.

A Russian offered to introduce Trump to Putin and help with the Trump Tower project.

Had contacts with Kremlin about project.

Discussed possibility of Trump and Cohen traveling to Russia.

Met with Russian oligarch.

Mr. Cohen was deeply involved in the plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. His partner in the effort was Felix Sater, a Trump business associate with deep contacts in Russia. Mr. Cohen admitted lying to Congress about the duration of the project’s discussions and the extent of Mr. Trump’s involvement in them. And Mr. Cohen is also now known to have met with a Russian oligarch on a separate matter.

Donald Trump Jr.
at least 17 contacts

Contacted by a Russian social media executive about setting up a campaign page.

Arranged and attended Trump Tower Russia meeting.

Called it “disgusting” for Democrats to suggest Russia was helping Trump.

Exchanged direct messages with WikiLeaks.

Contacted by a Russian social media executive about setting up a campaign page.

Arranged and attended Trump Tower Russia meeting.

Called it “disgusting” for Democrats to suggest Russia was helping Trump.

Exchanged direct messages with WikiLeaks.

Contacted by a Russian social media executive.

Mr. Trump Jr. had various contacts with Russians and a Russian intermediary regarding the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting, as well as the possibility of setting up a campaign page on a Russian social media site. He also exchanged private messages with WikiLeaks.

George Papadopoulos
at least 12 contacts

Told that the Russians had “dirt” on Clinton.

Had contact with a Russian who said his Foreign Ministry colleagues were “open for cooperation.”

Met with London-based professor who claimed to have ties to Russian government.

Met with London-based professor who claimed to have ties to Russian government.

Told that the Russians had “dirt” on Clinton.

Had contact with a Russian who said his Foreign Ministry colleagues were “open for cooperation.”

Mr. Papadopoulos had multiple contacts with Russian operatives who said they wanted to arrange meetings between Mr. Trump, or his campaign, and Mr. Putin, or Mr. Putin’s staff members. He frequently told campaign officials about these conversations. He pleaded guilty to lying to the F.B.I. about these contacts.

Paul Manafort
at least 6 Russian contacts

Period of time Manafort was on Trump campaign

Attended Trump Tower meeting.

Said charges of ties between campaign and Russia were “absurd.”

Met with Kilimnik to discuss a pro-Russian plan for Ukraine.

Offered Konstantin V. Kilimnik polling data.

Offered to give private briefings to a Russian oligarch.

Period of time Manafort was on Trump campaign

Offered Konstantin V. Kilimnik polling data.

Attended Trump Tower meeting.

Said charges of ties between campaign and Russia were “absurd.”

Offered to give private briefings to a Russian oligarch.

Met with Kilimnik to discuss a pro-Russian plan for Ukraine.

Mr. Manafort had multiple contacts with Konstantin V. Kilimnik, a longtime business associate tied to Russian intelligence, during the period of time he served on the campaign. He had political polling data shared with Mr. Kilimnik and told him he could offer private campaign briefings to a Russian oligarch. He also attended the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting.

Michael T. Flynn
at least 5 contacts

Met with Kislyak at Trump Tower.

Multiple contacts with Kislyak about Russian sanctions.

Met with Kislyak at Trump Tower.

Multiple contacts with Kislyak about Russian sanctions.

During the transition, Mr. Flynn had several conversations with Sergey I. Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States at the time, about Russian sanctions and about blocking an impending United Nations vote criticizing Israeli settlements.

Jared Kushner
at least 6 contacts

Was forwarded a proposal for a back-channel meeting with Russians, which he rebuffed.

Attended Trump Tower Russia meeting.

Met with Russian ambassador and the head of a Russian bank.

Introduced to Russian ambassador.

Introduced to Russian ambassador.

Forwarded proposal for back-channel meeting with Russians, which he rebuffed.

Attended Trump Tower Russia meeting.

Met with Russian ambassador and the head of a Russian bank.

Mr. Kushner met with Mr. Kislyak during the transition and discussed opening a communications channel with Russian officials. He also attended the Trump Tower meeting.

Roger J. Stone Jr.
at least 18 contacts

Ongoing discussions with Trump campaign about WikiLeaks.

Messaged with Guccifer 2.0.

Received WikiLeaks message.

Met with a Russian who offered dirt on Hillary Clinton in exchange for money.

Asked WikiLeaks

intermediary

for Clinton emails.

Ongoing discussions with Trump campaign about WikiLeaks.

Met with a Russian who offered dirt on Hillary Clinton in exchange for money.

Messaged with Guccifer 2.0.

Asked

WikiLeaks

intermediary

for Clinton emails.

Received WikiLeaks message.

Mr. Stone sold himself to the campaign as a conduit of inside information from WikiLeaks. In an indictment unsealed on Jan. 25, the special counsel disclosed evidence that a top campaign official dispatched Mr. Stone to get information from WikiLeaks about the thousands of hacked Democratic emails.